Latest news with #ArkansasACCESS
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What are the 4 bills Gov. Sanders has vetoed?
ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed over 1,000 bills and vetoed four as the biennial session nears its May 5 adjournment. HB1889 would have allowed medical marijuana deliveries via dispensary vehicles or drive-throughs. Sanders said in her veto letter that '[t]his legislation would expand access to usable marijuana, therefore I am vetoing.' This bill would have created regional mental health programs for students and update education rules for kids in juvenile detention. Governor Sanders said in her veto letter that she vetoed the bill because she believes student behavioral issues are disrupting schools, and she wants the Departments of Education and Human Services to develop 'a solution that is more tailored to the needs of our local public schools.' Pea Ridge resident inspires new legislative change HB1265 (Act 660) authorizes salaries at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, but Gov. Sanders vetoed the proposed $190,000 salary for the director of the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity. 'This session I championed Arkansas ACCESS, my plan to make college more accessible for all and get indoctrination out of college classrooms,' Sanders said in her veto letter. 'Arkansas will not waste nearly $200,000 in taxpayer dollars on DEI administrators who promote woke nonsense.' HB1961 would have let medical providers delay adding certain sensitive information to a patient's records until they could help explain it, aiming to prevent patients from misinterpreting their diagnoses. 'Individuals have a right to access personal medical information, including medical imaging, test results, and other health records, in a timely fashion,' Sanders said in her veto letter. 'Because this bill may, in some cases, unduly delay the release of such information to patients who are entitled to it, I am vetoing this legislation.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arkansas education officials consider workforce development, higher ed legislation
NorthWest Arkansas Community College President Dennis Rittle (far right) answers a question from Natural State Media CEO Roby Brock (far left) during a roundtable discussion on higher education and workforce development at the Fayetteville Town Center on April 23, 2025. University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis (center left) and University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles Robinson (center right) were also panelists. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate) Arkansas education leaders praised components of a new higher education overhaul law that will help high schoolers transition to college and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting all students during a roundtable discussion at the Fayetteville Town Center Wednesday. University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis, NorthWest Arkansas Community College President Dennis Rittle and University of Arkansas Chancellor Charles Robinson participated in the conversation, which was organized by the Northwest Arkansas Council and focused on higher education's role in workforce and regional development. 'We're not talking about degrees, we're talking about making sure that students have the skills that they need that are marketable and that align with our regional economies whether it's here or Central Arkansas or otherwise,' NWA Council President Nelson Peacock told a crowd of roughly 350 guests. Workforce preparedness has been a priority for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who in March signed into law Arkansas ACCESS, a 123-page bill that will make changes to the state's higher education funding model, scholarships, course credits and the admissions process, among other things. What is Arkansas ACCESS? Participants considered the impact of Act 341 throughout the hour-long conversation, including Davis. He said he appreciated the legislation's connections between K-12 and post-secondary education, which he said will make university officials think about how to reach out to feeder schools and make sure they're removing barriers. Additionally, Davis said he appreciated the legislation's support for noncredit activities, such as the coding and aviation academies offered at UCA. 'Knowing that the state has a nod toward and there's a place for that and there's encouragement for universities and community colleges to be in that noncredit space, I think that's a win for workforce, that's a win for business and industry,' Davis said. Robinson lauded Arkansas ACCESS' support of concurrent credit courses, which he said would better prepare students for post-graduation activities. Robinson also praised doubling the first-year award for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program to $2,000. 'I know the state was doing what it thought was right, but that $1,000 doesn't cover books,' he said. 'So you need more money going to kids early on, and hopefully we'll continue to look for ways to increase the support from the state for the students, because again, that helps them to be able to afford the opportunity that they're seeking to better themselves and ultimately to better the state.' Colleges and universities are also taking steps to increase access to higher education through their own scholarships. The University of Arkansas, for example, announced Wednesday a $1 million donation by alumnus Will Feland to the Land of Opportunity Scholarship campaign, a three-year initiative to increase educational access for students from the state's 75 counties 'by addressing the critical funding gap often limiting those opportunities,' according to a press release. Roundtable participants were also asked about some of the more controversial components of Arkansas ACCESS, which include prohibitions on excused absences for college students who attend political protests and collecting and reporting information about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for institutional accreditation purposes. In terms of free speech, Robinson said he didn't see the challenge in the new law because academic freedom wasn't injured and the legislation 'doesn't prevent us from teaching what we need to teach.' Regarding DEI, the new higher education law prohibits things like requiring students and staff to submit a diversity statement or conditioning enrollment based on race, ethnicity, sex, color or national origin. While that may be happening in other institutions around the country, it's not an issue at UCA, according to Davis, who said 'those elements of the bill make something illegal that we're not doing already.' Critics of the law's prohibitions on 'indoctrination' and DEI have voiced concerns about the potential impact on students from minority groups. All 10,000 of UCA's students are unique individuals, Davis said, and it's his administration's job to figure out what about their background makes them special and what they hope to get out of their college experience. 'A friend of mine…says, 'no one can tell you you can't love a student and love who they are and be there for them as they walk their journey,' and that's all we're doing,' Davis said. 'And the reality is, if you want to divide that up into 10,000 pieces, go right ahead. We're going to keep meeting students where they are.' Rittle echoed those sentiments, noting that they love their students at NWACC 'and when you love them, there's no laws against that.' Progress and change come with challenges, but Rittle said he sees it as an opportunity for reinvention as the school continues serving its students. 'We don't get too tripped up [with] what happens in other ways. If you tell me we've got to stop doing our mission, that's a different conversation,' he said. 'But as long as we can do our mission, we figure it out and we keep serving. And we have students from every different demographic as well at NWACC, just like all the institutions represented here on this platform, and the reality is our service to them, if anything, it's just like, game on.' State Rep. Denise Garner, a Fayetteville Democrat and member of the House Education Committee who attended Wednesday's discussion, said there were some great parts of Arkansas ACCESS, but she's also worried about other components of the massive legislation. 'My biggest concern is to make sure we have all of the stakeholders at the table so that we're making good decisions, and we'll watch to make sure that happens,' Garner said. Details of the law's various components will be fleshed out during the rulemaking process, which often includes feedback from stakeholders and can take several months to complete. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Axios
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Gov. Sanders touts legislative wins, Dems cite power grabs
The 95th General Assembly of the Arkansas Legislature wrapped on Wednesday after 94 working days at the state Capitol. Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders cited progress, while some Democrats decried the session's power plays. The big picture: During the biannual full session, Arkansas lawmakers negotiated changes to the management of state government, budgets, infrastructure, education and public safety. State of play: Sanders signed more than 600 bills into law. Some of those bills include: Increasing the general revenue budget to $6.49 billion for fiscal 2026, up nearly 3% from 2025. Elimination of the state's grocery tax of 0.125%, which generated about $10 million annually. Creation of Arkansas ACCESS, a higher-education reform package to prepare high school and nontraditional students for the workforce while also setting guidelines for state-supported schools to lose funding if they engage in certain diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Passage of the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies Act, designed to improve maternal health outcomes, especially for low-income women. Lawmakers also approved a cellphone ban in public schools, granted parents the right to sue social media companies if harm is done to a minor, and passed legislation to provide a free breakfast to every public school student. Arkansas also became the first state to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from owning pharmacies, seen as a step to protect independent operators and mitigate drug-price hikes. Sanders signed a bill to allow for nitrogen hypoxia as a method of execution for state inmates on death row. Reality check: In her speech marking the end of the session, Sanders notably did not mention the $750 million appropriations fight over the proposed Franklin County prison project, which failed five times to garner enough support to make it through the state Senate this session. What she's saying: "We went after big tech companies exploiting our kids, big drug middlemen manipulating drug prices, big government subsidizing junk food at the taxpayers' expense, lobbyists working for adversaries like China, woke faculty trying to indoctrinate our students, and the far left that wants to coddle dangerous criminal illegals and threaten our elections with petition fraud," Sanders said Wednesday. The other side:"This session will be remembered for out-of-control spending on misguided policies, power grabs away from the people of Arkansas, and divisive national politics continuing to seep into our state," Rep. Andrew Collins (D-Little Rock) said in a news conference Wednesday.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gov. Sanders vetoes two bills on last day of legislative session
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — On the final day of the legislative session, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued two vetoes on bills that went to her desk for her signature. The two vetoes were the first of the 95th General Assembly. The first veto was for HB1889, which would authorize a dispensary to deliver orders or operate a drive-thru window. Sanders said in a statement that the reason why she vetoed the bill was that it 'would expand access to usable marijuana.' HB1889 was sponsored by Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R-Knoxville) and Sen. Joshua Bryant (R-Rogers). CVS shares statement after Arkansas bill restricting PBMs from owning pharmacies is signed into law The bill passed the House by 20 votes on April 2 and the Senate by four votes a week later. It was sent to the governor's desk on April 10. The Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association (ACIA) expressed disappointment in a statement released on Wednesday night after it was announced the bill had been vetoed. The Governor's veto message incorrectly asserts that this legislation 'would expand access to usable marijuana.' That is not supported by the text of the bill or the intent of its sponsors and supporters. HB1889 did not expand access to medical marijuana. The bill made no changes to patient eligibility, qualifying conditions or who may obtain a medical marijuana card under Arkansas law. Instead, it put patients first and proposed a set of measured operational improvements to better serve those already authorized to participate in the state's program. Not long after HB1889 was vetoed, Sanders issued a line-item veto for a part of HB1265, which would appropriate funds for the University of Arkansas – Little Rock. The line item vetoed by Sanders mentioned a position called the 'Dir. of Institute on Race & Ethnicity' with a maximum salary of $191,605. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders touts legislative accomplishments on final working day of 95th General Assembly Sanders issued the following statement regarding the line-item veto: 'This session, I championed Arkansas ACCESS, my plan to make college more accessible for all and get indoctrination out of college classrooms. Arkansas will not waste nearly $200,000 in taxpayer dollars on DEI administrators who promote woke nonsense.' HB1265 was sponsored by the Joint Budget Committee and was introduced on Jan. 27. It convincingly passed the House and Senate and was sent to the governor's desk on April 10. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
What is Arkansas ACCESS?
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signs the Arkansas ACCESS Act at the Arkansas Economic Development Foundation Luncheon on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (Randall Lee for the Arkansas governor's office) Arkansas ACCESS is a higher education overhaul bill signed into law by Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders last week. The legislation, which was filed as two identical 123-page bills in the House and Senate, is an acronym for acceleration, common sense, cost eligibility, scholarships and standardization. Here are some highlights of the major parts of the legislation: Expands accelerated high school coursework beyond Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs to include Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education courses, concurrent credit courses or similar programs approved by the state education department. Allows accelerated courses to receive weighted credit. Repeals efforts to reduce the participation gaps and performance gaps in AP classes between African American, Hispanic and Caucasian students. Beginning in 2025-2026, all public school districts and charter schools shall offer at least four accelerated learning courses that cover math, English, science and social studies. Beginning in 2025-2026, the tuition rate for a concurrent credit course offered by public schools shall be between 0.5% and 2.5% of the per-pupil amount and will not exceed the standard tuition rate and fee structure of the higher education institution providing the course. Students and their parents will not be responsible for tuition, fees or materials for participation in a concurrent credit course. Amends the current K-12 school rating system and directs the education department to develop a new formula for determining a letter grade ranking for public school districts and education service cooperatives. Strikes language that previously called for the rating system to consider English-learner progress and one of several other indicators, including closing the achievement gap, equity in resource allocation or preschool access. Permits a Purple Star designation for public schools and state-supported institutions of higher education that show 'significant commitment' to serving students and families connected to the U.S. Armed Forces. Establishes the Arkansas Direct Admissions Program beginning with the graduating class of 2026-2027. The program will include a common online application portal and establish provisional admissions criteria. Requires state-sponsored schools to accept the Classic Learning Test (CLT) to the same extent they do the ACT and SAT tests for admissions and state-funded financial assistance programs. Prohibits public school districts from granting excused absences for political protests. Allows excused absences for public school students who, with parental consent, engage in social or public policy advocacy, or attempts to influence legislation or other governmental policymaking. Requires school districts to submit an annual report on the absences to the state education department. Prohibits state-supported institutions of higher education from granting excused absences for political protest, social or public policy advocacy, or attempts to influence governmental policymaking. Prohibits state-supported institutions of higher education from authorizing student walkouts for political protest, social or public policy advocacy, or attempts to influence governmental policymaking. Requires students who damage a state-supported institution of higher education while engaging in a political protest or public policy advocacy to be liable for the damages. Students found liable are ineligible to receive their degree or transfer credits to another Arkansas school until they pay for the damages. Prohibits employees at a state-supported institution of higher education from compelling someone 'to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere to ideas or beliefs' that violate sections of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, but does allow for the discussion of history and concepts related to these topics. Prohibits conditioning enrollment or attendance based on race, ethnicity, sex, color or national origin. Prohibits a state-supported institution of higher education from collecting and reporting information related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) for institutional accreditation purposes. Prohibits complying with institutional accreditation requirements related to DEI, including a diversity statement. Permits restricting state funding to institutions that don't comply with the bill's 'Rejecting Discrimination and Indoctrination in Postsecondary Education' subchapter. Prohibits institutions from expending state funds and to reject federal funds whose receipt requires them to violate this subchapter. Prohibits institutions from requiring current or prospective employees or students to submit a diversity statement. Does not prohibit institutions from directing recruitment, advertising or promotion efforts to a specific population of prospective or existing students. Permits the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) to promulgate rules to implement a productivity-based funding model for two-year and four-year state-supported institutions. Incorporates a return-on-investment metric into the funding model. Requires ADHE to consult with the Governor's Workforce Cabinet during the development of the funding formula for noncredit programs. Permits the review process to result in the removal of tenure status or remedial training, and allows a tenured faculty member to appeal the decision. Permits immediate review of faculty members, including those with tenure, at any time if the institution determines they have 'exhibited professional incompetence,' been convicted of a crime affecting their fitness to do their job, or have 'engaged in unprofessional conduct,' among other things. Requires review framework to be reported to ADHE by Dec. 1, 2025, and implemented by Jan. 1, 2026. Tenure-related reports are due by Aug. 1 annually. Develops a statewide common course number system, with education officials to begin recommending additions and alterations beginning in the 2026-2027 school year. Provides for a reverse transfer agreement for students seeking an associate degree who transfer to a four-year state-supported institution of higher education before earning an associate degree. Establishes an order for which institutions of higher education award financial aid, with federal aid being applied before state aid, except as otherwise provided by federal law. Increases the first year award for the Arkansas Academic Challenge Scholarship Program from $1,000 to $2,000. Creates the Arkansas Heroes Scholarship Act for children or spouses of 'heroes,' which include first responders, veterans, teachers and certain state employees who suffered a fatal injury or become permanently disabled as result of a duty that occurred within the scope of their employment. Scholarship benefits may not accrue if the wound or death was self-inflicted. Creates the Governor's Higher Education Transition Scholarship Program for students with disabilities. The program will offer a maximum award of $2,500 per qualifying semester, and recipients must maintain eligibility for up to eight continuous semesters or until credentialing is obtained. Renames the Arkansas Concurrent Challenge Scholarship Program to the ACCESS to Acceleration Scholarship Program, which supports the cost of concurrent credit courses under certain circumstances. Students may receive a maximum of $2,000 annually. Amends the Arkansas Governor's Scholars Program to direct recipients to be chosen based on students who graduate with a diploma of distinction or earn an associate degree upon completing the summer term immediately following high school graduation. Allocates up to $5 million to the Arkansas Workforce Challenge Scholarship and increases the maximum annual award from $800 to $3,000. Classifies members of the U.S. military stationed in Arkansas and their dependents as in-state residents for state-funded scholarship purposes. Classifies other students as in-state residents if they have or will graduate from an Arkansas public school, private school or homeschool within nine months of enrolling in a state-supported institution of higher education; or established legal residency by meeting the requirements of rules promulgated by ADHE, and have been physically present in Arkansas for at least six continuous months with the intent to remain in the state. Removes some organizations previously designated in statute as required appointees to various committees and councils. Legislative sponsors said their bills eliminate 'without bias' entities that were not statutorily created, but these groups could still participate because the legislation allows for 'relevant stakeholders.' Reduces the size of some of these entities, including the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, which will shrink from 12 governor-appointed members to seven beginning on May 1. 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